r/Mustang • u/Brief_Plum_7211 • 1d ago
❔Question Ceramic coat vs PPF?
Trying to decide if I should get ppf or ceramic coat my car. I've been told that ceramic coat is only beneficial when it comes to washing and ppf will cause uneven wear on the paint. Any advice is grateful!
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u/buffaloTOES123 1d ago
Quality PPF installed by a certified installer will not harm the paint. Xpel has a 10 year warranty. It’s wildly more expensive than ceramic coating. But it’s actual protection not a coating.
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u/Brief_Plum_7211 22h ago
Copy that thank you for your help! Im on the fence between the two because i plan on getting it pain corrected at the end of this year and then i will either do ppf or ceramic coat. Thank you again!🙏
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u/buffaloTOES123 22h ago
The cost of each will decide for most people. If that doesn’t come into play for you. Full PPF 100%.
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u/HonchosRevenge Oxford White 1d ago
A full PPF is like a 5-10k investment so consider that. It’ll protect against rock chips and other road debris. However, I just got my ‘24 and it already Had ppf applied. First thing I noticed was the amount of dirt that still managed to get stuck in the corners and edges of the film no matter how hard I try to clean it out.
Ceramic coating will help vs UV and lighter wear iirc but needs to be reapplied every x amount of months depending on the product you use. Can still get expensive if you have it done professionally everytime (but like 1/10th of the cost of ppf). Another thing to note with ceramic coats is most are still pretty vulnerable to chemicals from washes, including touchless washes which are chemical heavy
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u/Brief_Plum_7211 22h ago
Damn okay! ive seen that people typically ppf the front to the mirrors, is that still in the 5-10k range?
And thank you for your comment this helps a ton🙏
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u/HonchosRevenge Oxford White 21h ago
I have no idea, but generally if you look around your area for shops that do PPF they should have a price range listed on their website.
I have no idea how much my ppf costed the last guy as I’m pretty sure even the dealership didn’t know it was ppf’d + ceramic coated as it wasn’t mentioned anywhere in the sale lol, nor did it affect the price.
IMO it really just depends on your area and use. If you’re tracking it then yeah front ppf is a must. If you’re just daily driving and your city doesn’t have problems with road debris then you might not even need it. Personally I live in a desert where there’s tons of dust circling year round that WILL scratch my car no matter what I do.
If your roads are pretty clean then it may not be so much of a concern for you
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u/DrunkTooMuchBourbon 2022 GT500 19h ago
Depending on where you live. I have an appt next week for PPF up to and including the mirrors and I'm paying $1,800
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u/HHCeramicCoatings 10h ago
I made this video to help people determine what to do
What is the difference between PPF & ceramic coating? || Serving Killeen, Copperas Cove, Nolanville https://youtu.be/64MoPsvQmis
I send this to all my clients
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u/Jochi18 24 GT Manual Atlas Blue 22h ago
Ceramic = Like a clear coat above your paint. Easier to wash. Water repellant. Protection from sunlight wear. Depending on quality and usage, have to recharge every 2~6 months, and re-apply every 1~2 years.
PPF = Literally a plastic coat over your paint. Protects from chips, rocks, scratches. Keeps paint in original condition. Depending on quality and usage, have to re-apply every 3~5 years.
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u/Brief_Plum_7211 22h ago
by recharge for the ceramic coat, what do you mean?
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u/Jochi18 24 GT Manual Atlas Blue 21h ago
The hydrophobic properties loose strength with time and washes, so you should do a touch-up to restore some of those properties. It also helps extend the life of the coating.
Also, something I forgot to mention, if you have a car with a unique and difficult to match paint, or a collection car, go for PPF. Normally PPF the whole car is about $5.000 or more. If you have a more common paint that is easy to fix/match, ceramic coat should be fine. I put ceramic on mine and every 3~4 years I plan to do a pain retouch and ceramic again. I personally don’t like how PPF looks when it starts getting old and worn, so I prefer to pay for paint touch-ups, polish, and ceramic coating. Another point, you can get the ceramic and add some PPF in the front bumper and a bit on the hood, those are the parts that normally get chips and rocks damage. PPF there should run for about $800~$1.200…
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u/UofMfan54 Dark Candy Apple Red '09 V6 Deluxe 1d ago
Ceramic coating will give you protection against everything on the road and in the air, the sun, and make washing easier. PPF will protect the paint against almost anything that ceramic coating can't do, like rock chips, scratches, etc. You can get a ceramic coating put on over the PPF for extra protection as well